Smith relentlessly attacked, took down and smothered fellow finalist and odds-on favorite Mike Ricci to win the latest season of the UFC’s competition reality series.

The welterweight co-headlined The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Their bout aired on FX following prelims on FX and Facebook.

The two fighters survived a 32-man field in the “TUF 16” tournament, which filmed earlier this year and recent concluded its regular-season run on FX. Smith, who was head coach Roy Nelson’s fourth pick (out of eight), and Ricci, who was Shane Carwin’s third, met in the traditional season-ending and live tournament final.

The bout, though, was all Smith.

Despite being a 2-to-1 underdog, the former Army Ranger dominated the action. From the opening bell, he swarmed after Ricci, fought from close quarters, scored frequent takedowns, and then clung to his back while searching for submissions. Ricci successfully dodged a string of rear-naked-choke attempts, but aside from a late-fight armbar attempt, his offense was essentially shut down.

The second round brought some drama as Ricci complained of a low blow, but referee Steve Mazzagatti refused to acknowledge it, and the one-sided fight continued.

“Mike Ricci … is tough as nails and came into the house and whooped the crap out of everyone,” Smith said. “He was a dangerous opponent. I knew he was. I had to be careful with him. I couldn’t find the finish, though. I was dirty-wrestling him, dirty-everything him. And I couldn’t finish him.”

After the win, he received the customary “TUF” championship trophy, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a “six-figure UFC contract,” and the promise of a promotional push that comes to all the UFC’s reality-show champs.

Smith (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won the show despite being the cast’s most inexperienced competitor. Ricci (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), meanwhile, was an early favorite after logging fights in Bellator and some of Canada’s top regional promotions.